Dutch Passion at Spannabis 2014

Spannabis is perhaps Europe’s biggest, and arguably the best, cannabis fair. It is held in Barcelona each February or March. Dutch Passion have just got back from the 2014 Spannabis Expo, the biggest and best attended Spannabis event yet. Each year Spannabis gets bigger and bigger. The Spannabis organisers tell us that the 2015 event will have even more exhibitors.

Spannabis is a chance for the public to see just about every cannabis-related product under one roof. Every part of the cannabis industry is represented, and it is a great opportunity for the pot-lover to compare all the different products and suppliers. Every company has a stand to display their products and for the public it is a great chance to indulge every interest. Spannabis runs for 3 days, from Friday morning until Sunday night and gets tens of thousands of visitors. It’s an international show, lots of visitors attend from all over the world. In reality there is now so much to see that you really need 2 full days to fully explore the show, and you also need a comfortable pair of shoes!

Above, and below. Dutch Passion win the 'Best Seedbank' award at Spannabis. Mahmoud, Jouke and Dave proudly show the award.

Most of the visitors are members of the public that want to see the latest products. Many visitors are home-growers and they have a huge array of products to look at. Every possible product is available for the home grower or cannabis lover. And often there are many suppliers competing which means the consumer has a great choice and can compare quality and cost from different suppliers. At Spannabis 2014 there were countless suppliers offering tents, several manufacturers of air-extraction fans, carbon filters and hydroponic systems. Likewise there were lots of companies offering cannabis seeds, rolling papers, bongs, stash boxes and just about every possible product that you could wish for. This year it was surprising to see how many specialist new companies were present offering bongs and vaporisers, and they are happy to let customers try the products for themselves. Each year we see new vapouriser designs and the quality of the hand-made glass bongs was simply stunning.

Many of the exhibitors at the show are happy to make special ‘Spannabis’ discounts, so if you are thinking of a great stoner-orientated event weekend then consider a visit to Spannabis in the future. Hotels are affordable with many local hotels available for around €40 per night.

As well as the visiting public, Spannabis is also popular with the thousands of grow shops/head shops from Europe and the rest of the world. These companies find Spannabis is a valuable chance to visit and compare all their potential suppliers under one roof. Most of the visitors are Spanish, but there are plenty of visitors from all over the world.

Each year at Spannabis there are always new products on show, and new businesses that have started up. It’s surprising how many of these new businesses are established by very young people, there are some hugely successful companies run by young people in their 20’s. We met a Spanish guy who left university and was unable to get a ‘regular’ job so he set up a business selling online hydroponic equipment from his mothers house. Two years later he runs a chain of 6 grow shops and is planning further expansion.

Above, Grow tent manufacturers and re-sellers were all over Spannabis. Many were taking orders for 'custom designed' tents. Some used their grow tents as meeting rooms.

The grow-tent business is one which seems to be really expanding. At each new Spannabis there seems to be yet another grow-tent manufacturer present. Many of the tent manufacturers will even take orders for ‘custom-made’ tents designed to your own personal specifications and size. Vapouriser manufacturers are on the increase too, it creates more choice in the market and that has to boost competition and standards.

There were hundreds of exhibitors at Spannabis. Some offered a single range of products e.g. seeds. But some exhibitors offered a full range of products such as grow-tents with a full selection of hydro equipment, nutrients, filters and even bud-trimming machines. We even saw companies offering machines to produce pressed-hash with your own logo on the hash. One company specialised in bud grinders, and one specialised in silicone containers for cannabis oil. It was a diverse collection of people and exhibitors, yet it went really well. The weather was great and a band played outside. The atmosphere was friendly and very relaxed. Several film crews were present producing different movies to present the case for legal medicinal cannabis and we hope to cover these in future blogs.

Above. Robert Veverka from the Czech Republic. Legalization campaigner and publisher of 'Legalizace' magazine. Robert is campaigning on a pro-cannabis manifesto to be elected to the Czech Government. Here is his website https://www.robertveverka.cz

There are over 200 established cannabis social clubs in Barcelona, and once Spannabis had closed for the day many people headed straight to the social clubs. You can join a club and buy your pot legally from it and also hang out there similar to a Dutch Coffee shop. It has really cleaned up the streets of Barcelona and sets a positive example to the rest of Europe about how we could regulate a responsible adults-only European pot supply system.

Spannabis will be back in 2015, if you are looking for a fun, pot-themed weekend then we really recommend it.

Seed type

Dutch Passion advise their customers to reassure themselves of local applicable laws and regulations before germination. Dutch Passion cannot be held responsible for the actions of those who act against laws and regulations that apply in their locality. Cannabis seeds should be kept as collectible souvenirs by anyone in an area where cultivation of cannabis is not legal.